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yield's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Memorability | #5 | 3.692 | 3.692 |
| Match to the brief | #9 | 3.692 | 3.692 |
| Composition quality | #12 | 3.615 | 3.615 |
| Production quality | #14 | 3.385 | 3.385 |
| Overall enjoyment | #14 | 3.385 | 3.385 |
| Overall | #14 | 3.554 | 3.554 |
Ranked from 13 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Description
This is my submission for the Precision OST Jam #1. I chose to do the Level 3 challenge for my composition.
I composed this as the end credits song for a futuristic farm simulation game called "yield" that's about a grizzled space explorer forced to retire after a freak accident and return to the farm town where he grew up. Given the time cost of space travel, he feels like a stranger in his own community and has to come to terms with a world that is both familiar and foreign to him. Friends have moved on and maintaining a farm requires him to study a multitude of new technologies. Unlike a game like Stardew Valley, the protagonist has a baked-in reticence around people and interacting with your neighbors requires constant skill checks to ensure you build relationships and remain open to learning opportunities. By the end of the game, the astronaut turned farmer learns to appreciate the beauty in community through maintaining a life built around reception towards the world around him.
A recent favorite soundtrack is Minari, which utilizes a lot of haunting vocals, lilting piano, and warm synth pads. By emulating this soundtrack, I wanted to make something infused with melancholy that gradually tipped towards joy. I see the instrumentation in my track as representing different "characters" in the game. The saxophone could be the astronaut; rusty and slightly out of tune but harboring a rich soul. The tinnier vocals in the first portion are the sound of times and friends lost before shifting to a more resounding chorus in the second portion that represent the people now supporting the astronaut. The piano, reflecting the beauty of the natural landscape that envelops the game and the astronaut's memories of space travel, plays a leitmotif that gradually shifts to the chorus towards the end, reflecting how the protagonist has changed perspective to recognize the wonder of the universe in the people around him. The saxophone eventually yields and accepts its place at the end of the track, much like the main character at the end of the game.
I really enjoyed crafting this track and thank you to any who listen!
URL to Streaming Service
https://soundcloud.com/user-222910385/yield?si=39990aaed51a4df79a2d1e199a431f3a&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
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Comments
Man, my heart aches... Reading the description and listening to your piece were a great combo. That feeling of being a stranger in a place you once knew as home really were apparent in the first half.
The section at 2:00 was still very well written and sonically pleasant, but it definitely threw me off for a bit. It felt a bit disconnected, but slowly I was able to tie it back to the beginning part. Though, it absolutely gave a feeling of both hope and community, which seem to be strong themes in this game.
I greatly enjoyed this piece, and the overall production quality is absolutely game-deserving. Thank you for submitting this for us to hear!
This is the most unique I've seen from the jam. I love it! The vocals and sax are so moving. And the synths and percussion from 2:05 are so calming. You're very good at eliciting emotions and vibes. I did lose the melody a little when all the voices came in but I'm not necessarily sure that's a bad thing.
Appreciate the kind words and glad that it had the intended effect!
I really like the sax part and the voices are a cool idea.
I would point out that in the main repeating voice line, there is a moment when the voice breaks and it's always in the same spot, basically showing the copy/paste a little and sadly making it appear less organic.
Starting around 2:30, there are multiple vocal lines in the same register, making it difficult to follow. I think it would have been better to just keep to the falsetto and one additional vocal line (maybe two, if you can separate them clearly).
Apart from that, really cool idea and a nice performance!
Thank you for listening and providing feedback! I appreciate the comment about the multiple vocal lines; I agree that portion didn't necessarily achieve the clarity or resonance I was looking for, and I definitely think cutting back on the layering would help.
Listening to your track again just now: you might be able to pull it off with just mercyless application of EQ - basically modifying the sounds of the individual voices by almost cutting out areas in the spectrum, that the other voice is untouched in (or even boosted) to clearly distinguish the lines from each other.
That's a great idea and I think making that edit would be great audio processing practice!
Love the saxophone and the whole vibe there ! The introduction is gorgeous, it seems something is far away, but strong enough to be heard. It could be one of those musics that I could listen on a train at night.
I like how instruments are switching from left to right, that some voices are stuck in the same position as if to separate their identity, but all the voices together gives this beautiful harmony.
The piano solo at 1:35 then joined by other instruments is well done and the arrival of drums is satisfying. The ending is astonishing, after the vocal parts, having this soft sax then ending with those 5 notes repeated 4 times with a little variation at the 4th time gives a great conclusion. Well done !
Thank you for listening and singling out so many elements! I'm especially glad to hear you liked the panning (sometimes I get concerned about overdoing it).
Hey, I've just listened to your track!
I really enjoyed it! I can definitely imagine it in a cozy farming game with an emotional undertone. You made great use of the vocals, which create a nice dialogue with the saxophone. I also loved the piano throughout the entire piece; it helps establish a beautiful atmosphere from beginning to end.The transition between the calm and the more energetic section is very well done too.
There isn't much to criticize here — this is a really solid submission.
Good luck with the rest of the voting period!
Thank you for checking it out and taking the time to write this up! Also, as someone who has been struggling to think of composition in a more "horizontal" sense, it makes me happy to hear you describe the balance between instruments as a dialogue :)
(Submission 18/29 - "yield" by JCR45)
This is really good - so much emotional charge! I genuinely have chills after listening to the intro! I particularly enjoy hearing the tonal shift from nostalgic to hopeful after the drums come in.
One thing I could recommend would be to add a stronger reverb to the piano and drums to make it fit in with the track. That's it. Really good!
Thank you JCR45!
Thank you for listening! And yes, I totally agree about the reverb. Definitely trying to learn more about mixing and sound selection for future projects.
Vocals and sax add so much! Wonderful job
Appreciate it :)
So good mate, I love it ! Good job with the vocals (and the smooth sax hehe).
Thank you for the kind words!